What does Yorkshire MESMAC stand for?
MESMAC stands for ‘MEn who have Sex with Men – Action in the Community’. It is an acronym that we no longer officially use, although we are often asked what it means, out of curiosity. The name reflects both the grassroots origins of the organisation and our commitment to a community development approach to our work. [top]
What does Yorkshire MESMAC do?
- One to one information and support – in person or by telephone or email – on issues such as HIV, sexual health, coming out, where to meet other men, how to contact community groups, etc.
- Free access to a professional Counselling Service.
- Free condoms, lubricant and sexual health information – distributed to Gay pubs, clubs and saunas across Yorkshire, and to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) community groups.
- Outreach on the Gay ‘scene’ (i.e. Gay pubs and clubs) and in public sex environments (cottages, cruising areas and saunas) for the purposes of HIV prevention and sexual health promotion.
- Support for existing and new LGB community groups (free access to meeting space, the chance to apply for small grants, etc.).
- Training and consultancy for professionals and organisations.
- Lobbying to improve local services – such as local councils, health services, police authorities, schools, etc. – for Yorkshire’s LGB communities.
The work of Yorkshire MESMAC is underpinned by
a fundamental commitment to (a) supporting individuals by giving
them access to accurate and up-to-date information so that
they can make informed choices about their emotional and sexual
lives, and (b) challenging the structures of inequality that
stand in the way of individuals making informed choices. Yorkshire
MESMAC employs a community development approach to its work,
for two reasons. First, bringing people together
– to explore what they have in common and to share their
experiences – helps to end feelings of isolation and
powerlessness, whilst allowing individuals and groups to recover
their confidence, self-esteem and collective voice. Second,
this community action, manifest in a range of community groups
and networks, provides an effective vehicle through which Yorkshire
MESMAC can pursue its work.
Yorkshire MESMAC also possesses a national, if not international,
reputation as a leading player in the field of sexual health.
Yorkshire MESMAC has close links with the Department of Health
and has been instrumental in developing the national HIV and
sexual health strategy and the Community HIV and AIDS Prevention
Strategy (CHAPS). [top]
Why do you only work with men?
Yorkshire MESMAC was formed at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, when many thousands of Gay and Bisexual men were dying from this blood-borne virus. Its formation reflects the grassroots commitment of Gay and Bisexual who, having watched many of their friends and lovers die, were determined to take action to fight the HIV virus. The need for an effective, community-based health promotion response was recognised by the government of the day. It financially supported a number of Gay and Bisexual projects across the country, including Yorkshire MESMAC. In doing so, the government conceded that health promotion initiatives designed and implemented by Gay and Bisexual men themselves, rather than bureaucrats in Whitehall, was the most sensible way to proceed. After all, Gay and Bisexual men possess the necessary insight, knowledge and skills to combat this virus within their own communities. Three decades later, Gay and Bisexual men remain the group that is most commonly infected and affected by the HIV virus. For this reason, significant public health funding continues to be distributed to sexual health promotion projects working with Gay and Bisexual men. However, Yorkshire MESMAC does provide information and support to other sections. We work with heterosexual partners of Gay and Bisexual men. We work with heterosexual professionals. We work with Lesbian and Bisexual women who are part of LGB community groups that are supported by Yorkshire MESMAC, and we provided the seed money to establish a professional Counselling Service for Lesbian and Bisexual women. [top]
Why ‘men who have sex with men’?
The terms ‘Gay’ and ‘Bisexual’ are terms of identity rather than description. In other words, men describing themselves as Gay or Bisexual are comfortable and secure in themselves about doing so. This is not true for all men, some of whom are ostensibly heterosexual, with girlfriends or wives, even though they sometimes have sex with other men. The term ‘men who have sex with men’ is therefore a term of description rather than identity. In other words, it describes what these men do rather than what they are. [top]
Polari is an old Gay language that enabled Gay men to communicate with each other without people in the immediate vicinity knowing what they were talking about. The term ‘cottage’ refers to a public toilet. Hence, cottaging is the term that describes men looking for sex in public toilets with other men. Homosexuality was illegal in Britain before 1967 and for hundreds of years, Gay and Bisexual men were persecuted by the State (Oscar Wilde probably being the most well known example of this). For this reason, and in the absence of the Gay pubs and clubs, community groups and Internet chat rooms that we take for granted today, public toilets were one of the few places where men could meet for sex. This is a situation that persists to this day. It is also a global phenomenon. [top]
Cruising refers to men who are looking for sex with other men in outdoor places, such as parks or lay-bys, often at night. [top]
Dogging refers to Bisexual and heterosexual couples who meet other couples in outdoor places for one-on-one or group sex. Some of these men and women engage in same-sex activity. [top]
Where are the local cottaging, cruising and dogging areas?
You can find details of local cottaging, cruising and dogging areas on the Internet. However, it must be remembered that having sex in public is a criminal activity and you could end up being prosecuted, with your name and case being published in the local newspaper. Furthermore, such places are also targeted by homophobes who may attack you or try to blackmail you. A better and safer way to meet sexual partners is to go to local Gay pubs and clubs, saunas, community groups or to use the Internet (sites such as www.gaydar.co.uk or www.gay.com). These are all completely legal ways of meeting other men for sex. [top]